Lautenberg to introduce legislation that could aid Indonesian refugees in deportation cases

Patti Sapone/The Star-LedgerIndonesian immigrants, from left, Oldy Manopo, 59, Saul Timisela, 45, and Rovni Wantko, 45, have taken refuge in the Reformed Church of Highland Park. About 70 Indonesians, who have been living in the Middlesex County area since the 1990s, are facing deportation. Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger

HIGHLAND PARK — U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) will introduce legislation next week that could allow some Indonesians under threat of deportation to reopen their asylum claims with immigration authorities.

The bill, a companion to House legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.), could reopen hundreds of asylum applications by Indonesians living in New Jersey that were not adjudicated or heard because they were not filed in time.

Hundreds of Indonesians, mostly Christians, settled in central New Jersey in the late 1990s after fleeing their native country because they feared religious persecution in mostly Muslim Indonesia.

But after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. immigration authorities required that non-citizen men from certain countries, including Indonesia, register with the government. Although Indonesians here said repatriation could result in persecution and even violence, federal authorities began deportation proceedings against those who were in the U.S. without authorization.

"America has a long history of protecting refugees from persecution, and this legislation gives these families a chance to legally seek asylum and to continue contributing to our country," Lautenberg said in a statement.

The Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, co-pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park who advocates on the Indonesians’ behalf, said the bill supports religious and family values and merits backing from conservatives and liberals alike.

Should it fail, Kaper-Dale said, President Obama should act to reopen the cases.

"The administration has to take note of the fact that the Senate and House are pushing for bills to offer some long term relief to these people," he said.